Arm Accuracy –Impressive placement on far reaching throws in the intermediate areas of the field. Can struggle with placement on his bucket throws vertically but when lacing balls to the sideline or vs. holes in zone coverage, flashes very good placement to slot into a tight space.

Decision Making –Can get a bit flustered under pressure, had some ugly reps through mid-season contests when he was batted around early. Can freeze if his read is unexpectedly unavailable. Surgical vs. soft zone and off man coverage. Methodical passer in the shallow areas.

Progressions –Can be very effective, showed a lot of confidence reading trips side route concepts and picking apart defensive coverage. Deeper drops and longer developing plays create poor results, is more reliable and clean in the quick game and rhythm passing.

Anticipation –Willing and perfectly able of pulling trigger on spot throws to the sideline or breaking across the back of a zone defender…issues stem from placement but conceptually shows a high competency and grasp in this area.

Poise –Pressure in his face has brought out the worst in him, an understandable byproduct of pressure. But escapability limitations are apparent and seems to freeze under the gun. Game situations, however, are no problem. Successful 2-min offense, 3rd/4th downs.

Arm Strength –Pop off his hands is most notable on far hash out routes and sideline throws. Ball gets to target in a hurry when he’s working off a stationary platform and really able to put torque into the ball with confidence. Can struggle with too much air under his vertical throws.

Pocket Awareness –Shows effective skills in climbing the pocket vertically, has a good sense of when his tackles are defeated and needing to climb up the ladder. Has slid into pressure when forced laterally instead of holding his water in the phone booth.

Mechanics –Does have a little bit of a drop of the ball in his delivery, nothing egregious but there’s a slight delay from when he mentally pulls the trigger and when the ball shoots out. Pretty compact otherwise and gets over the top at his release point.

Footwork –Requires some real estate, can be a bit of a long strider in delivery and when handcuffed allows the ball to get away from him. Quick snap on sudden throws to the flat. Shows good lower body rotation when he’s afforded a sizable amount of space.

Mobility –Has enough mobility to get off of his spot and climb the pocket for a throw. Lacks any exceptional wiggle or first step quickness, so has to wait out pass rushers before stepping up and forcing the missed tackle. Waning success using his legs on the edge.

BEST TRAIT – Arm Strength

WORST TRAIT – Poise

BEST FILM – Michigan (2018)

WORST FILM – Michigan State (2018)

RED FLAGS – None

Dwayne Haskins projects as a prototypical pocket passer in the NFL. Haskins’ best system fit is an offense that implements a lot of work in the intermediate areas of the field to capitalize on his accuracy to that area and mitigate his longer drops and prolonged reps holding the ball within the pocket. Haskins’ ceiling will be determined by how much more accurate he can get his deep ball and getting his decision making process to speed up. Is not overly effective beating pressure.

Accuracy – Short-to-intermediate, Haskins ball placement and timing are usually very good. He leads receivers into YAC and gets the ball out quickly. The further down the field and/or outside the numbers he is asked to go, the more things unravel. Poor downfield passer who often undershoots or overshoots his receivers on vertical patterns, largely due to inconsistent throwing mechanics. Best deep shots still required big-time adjustments from his receivers the majority of the time. Allows cornerbacks to make plays on balls down the field that they should have no business making.

Decision-Making – Mostly good decision-maker who doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way often. Won’t force passes into non-existent windows and understands that he can’t be late with the ball in certain zones/areas of the field. Worst aspect of his decision-making is rather sins of omission, passing up open receivers down the field for something simpler underneath or not trusting his arm to make a tight window throw in a key moment. Takes some undesirable sacks as a result.

Mental Processing – Quick mental processor who moves through progressions in a timely manner and sees the field well. Processes coverages and understands where defenders may have leverage on a route. Works quick-hitting combinations fluidly, but as things open up down the field, struggles to absorb the big picture. Has windows to throw the ball in vertically, but too quickly works to a checkdown when he could hang in and make a bigger throw.

Velocity/Arm Strength – Flashes of zip short-to-intermediate, especially when throwing between the numbers. Mechanics impact velocity – throwing with his front shoulder pointed down the field, Haskins has plenty of pace on the ball. When he has to open to a sideline and throw outside the numbers, the ball dies on him much more frequently. Certainly does not have an elite arm, but not weak enough to be concerned with either. Ability to throw for distance is there, but will often misjudge the range needed on the ball when taking deep shots.

Pocket Presence – Pocket presence improved as the season went on, but would still do well to slide and keep his eyes downfield more often. Can work in a condensed pocket and still keep his base steady. Not panic-y against pressure, but will panic when the only option is a tight window throw. He’ll hang in and move through progressions, but will take sacks by passing on tough throws.

Mechanics – Might need significant work in this area at the NFL level. Winds up with the ball and release point is inconsistent. Elongated delivery and poor footwork impact velocity. Doesn’t follow through with his trail foot, causing the ball to dip on him at times. Too many examples of throwing off his back foot or being unable to re-set quickly when his initial base is compromised. Needs to learn when to take something off the ball on short throws, couple of examples of him lacing the ball on a swing pass to a guy a few feet from him.

Improvisation – Does not throw the ball well on the run or play outside of structure particularly well. Enough athleticism and strength to pull off some escape jobs, but not one to make accurate throws when off-balance, or from a variety of arm angles.

Leadership/Work Ethic – No complaints here. Lead by example guy early in the season who became more vocal according to Urban Meyer. One-year starter, certainly not described as a Baker Mayfield type of leader, but coaches seemed to be encouraged with how he performed down the stretch of the season in this way.

Poise – In big moments or games he didn’t melt down. Late against Purdue he made some mistakes, but he was also probably the only reason they were in that game. People will point to wins over Penn State (a comeback) or Michigan (a great defense and a big game), but the scheme was more impactful in those contests than Haskins’ pure ability or poise.

Athleticism/Size – Shorter quarterback, but still plenty tall enough to pass thresholds. Average athlete who isn’t going to make many plays with his legs in the NFL, but has competent scrambling ability.

BEST TRAIT – Short Accuracy

WORST TRAIT – Mechanics/Downfield Passing

RED FLAGS – None

If Haskins is the hero of the 2019 quarterback class, woe are we. He’s an effective short-mid range passer with good ball placement and mental processing, but as soon as you ask him to expand beyond that, issues spring up left and right. Haskins can still improve some as a one-year starter, but his mechanics and accuracy limit his ability to be effective on more high degree of difficulty throws even if he did become a more aggressive passer.

It’s a weird comparison that I’ll probably get some flak on, but I liken Haskins to Alex Smith as a passer, but with worse mechanics and obviously less athleticism. Both are hesitant downfield passers who have accuracy/range concerns when they do go deep, and would rather settle for attacking short-to-intermediate, where they are clearly more comfortable. Both quarterbacks can crumble in the pocket if the only option is a tight window or downfield throw, seeking perfect conditions for a pass of that nature. Like Smith, Haskins is sharp mentally for a one-year starter, but he still needs some improvement to reach Smith’s peak in the NFL.

I don’t see high upside for Haskins due to his limitations, but I think he can be a serviceable starter for a team that runs a lot of West Coast principles in their offense. He’s a pass-first point guard who won’t miss many open layups and will put his teammates in position to be successful with the ball in their hands, but ask him to start being a key scorer, drive the lane or hit a few deep triples, and Haskins could get overwhelmed quickly at the next level.